Water Service Disruptions and Boil Water Advisory Information

In the event of a water main break or other water service issue, Wyoming Water Works will attempt to notify affected property owners via telephone, email, Nixle, or other social media networks to inform of outages and time estimates. A boil water advisory will be issued in extreme cases (bee below). Roadway access/closure information will also be relayed, as necessary. Upon notice, residents should immediately complete any water use activities and may want to set aside a gallon or two of water to have on hand. Remember, in the event of a water outage, each toilet will only flush one times.

After the initial time estimate, Wyoming Water Works typically will not issue a “Water Back in Service” notice. We ask that residents check their service occasionally during the outage and, when water is restored, follow the suggested procedures below:

If/when there is a water main break that causes part of the water system to depressurize, the City of Wyoming may issue a precautionary Boil Water Advisory to water customers located within the affected area(s) per EPA requirements. The Water Boiling advisory is issued using via Wyoming’s notification system. Unless noted otherwise, the boil water advisory is precautionary because of the possibility of bacterial contamination. Below are the instructions residents may follow in a boil water advisory:

1. A Boil Water Advisory recommends customers in the impacted area(s) take the following precautions to ensure the purity of their water. Bring all water to a boil, let it boil vigorously for at least one minute, and let it cool before using, or use bottled water. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and food preparation until further notice. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water.

2. Customers should also follow these helpful tips when a boil water advisory is issued:

• Throw away any ice made during a Boil Water Advisory. Freezing does not kill bacteria.
• Adults and teens can use water for bathing, but should be careful not to swallow water.
• Wash clothes as you normally do.
• Only use your dishwasher if there is a high temperature cycle.
• After a Boil Water Advisory is lifted, flush house pipes, ice makers, hot water heaters, water softeners, and garden hoses, and change filters before using water for drinking and cooking.

Typically, boil water advisories last no more than 48 hours until Wyoming’s bacteria test results confirm the water is again safe to drink. Wyoming will post an all clear notice on the Wyoming website when the water has been determined to be safe (coliform negative).

After water is restored, Wyoming Water Works will flush the affected water main(s) for water clarity and safety. Then, we will monitor for chlorine residual and, in some cases, sample for bacteriological contamination. Wyoming Water Works recommends that property owners in the main break shutdown area also flush their internal plumbing fixtures to remove any potential contaminants (i.e., lead) that may have resulted from the main break. This will also clear up any discolored or brown water (due to iron). We recommend that you flush your service line from an outside faucet first until it clears up. Then proceed to flush all inside faucets or fixtures. This entire procedure should take no more than 5-10 minutes, depending on the number of fixtures. We also recommend refraining from washing laundry with in 24 hours of the repair.

General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by microbes are available from EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 800-426-4791.

If you need to contact Wyoming Water Dept. click here for their contact info.